If you're up on your JK for Senate campaign, you probably know that the Senator has a "Democratic" primary challenger. And although this "Democratic" challenger has been all over the news and his few supporters have been swarming the blogs claiming the Senator is refusing to debate him, nothing could be further from the truth. Despite his claims, Mr. O'Reilly has refused to speak to the Senator's campaign manager to discuss debates because what he really wants is the media attention.

"We'd like to have a conversation rather than litigating this through the media in a cheap ploy for attention," O'Rourke said. "But every day that this character invokes the smears of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and channels the Massachusetts GOP in his personal attacks, you wonder more and more whether his campaign is based on anything but character assassination." -Brigid O'Rourke, Massachusetts Press Secretary for John Kerry

Did you see O'Reilly? That was one of those cheap ploys for attention Brigid O'Rourke was referring to. Pretty slimy, don't you think? Not as underhanded as when he chose to side with the Liars, but close.

Beachmom has a great diary at BlueMassGroup with details on the debate over the debates. The truth, as she clearly documents, is that the Senator's staff did contact O'Reilly, who has refused to discuss terms for debates with them in good faith. And now, with Senator Kerry busy at the Democratic Convention next week and with KOYC stops and Senate business to catch up on after that, looks like there may not be any.

Too bad, Ed. Of course, I don't think O'Reilly ever really wanted debates. To debate, you have to take a have something worth debating, and O'Reilly's a one trick pony, running on a platform of whining about why Senator Kerry won't personally return his calls.

So, what's to debate? O'Reilly has three talking points and no progressive record to run on. That's not a debate, it's a bumper sticker. And until he voices his support for the Democratic nominee for President, how can he even call himself a Democratic challenger? Believe me, I've googled. I've searched his website, and not a single word of support for our nominee, or for any other Democrat, for that matter. Now what kind of Democrat doesn't support any candidate but himself? Does Ed support anyone other than Ed?

And why did O'Reilly's former campaign manager dump him to join Team Kerry? I'd love to know the whole story behind that one.

Personally, I'd like to see Senator Kerry debate a worthy challenger. Now all he has to do is find one.